Maybe that is true for you, maybe you don't like poker maybe your just a no talent bum hunter. I played 90 hours of 2nl in a week of 10 hours days of 4x table of zoom ~120k hands. You want to tell me about a drag? I made ~$200. Don't think i'm just another internet punk looking to live the high life, this aint 2 months 2 million.

" even a $3-4k roll can disappear very quickly."

It's all relative..

Well I already decided to not play Live/Online and leave the money just in case. I put $40 online, and will grind it up and move up stakes pretty quickly (with the hours and volume I play it will be pretty cake)

I may even wait longer with live after looking at a variance simulator for my 2nl results, that **** scares the **** out of me. At a winrate of 4ptb/100 with a STD of 48BB/100, the biggest swing over 130k hands is roughly like 25BI+ which sort of makes me want to get seriously rolled for 1/2.

If I can run up my online roll, than a job will be irrelevant. (Being disabled wouldn't help getting a great job either)

FC, it's not entirely clear what your goal is from your posts. You indicate having rent and food paid for, which suggests you're thinking of turning pro. Then you mention you have a job. Then you play online 90 hrs/week in "10 hour days" (equals 70 hours, BTW) to play microlimit, suggesting no real job.

Assuming your original question of BR for 1/2 Live is all you are here for, there are two answers:

1. If the rake in the game is so high that the game is unbeatable, or you can't beat it due to skill/tilt issues, you need $∞.

2. If the rake does not make the game unbeatable, and you can beat it, you need a minimum of $5,000.

Couple questions:

Why are you building the money by grinding microstakes? It's an incredibly inefficient way to pull together money in a game that you've presumably demonstrated that you can already beat.

Where'd all that money go?

Op, there's obviously a disconnect. Everyone seems to think you're doing this live 1/2 thing as a career choice. Reading between the lines of your posts however, it appears that it's a hobby. This is a good thing, because:

* As Pfap mentioned, trying to eek out a living at this game is a soul-sucking experience. Are you ready for the time when you've got bills coming due but haven't had a losing session in 2 weeks? Talk about a "grind".
* Despite certain "pro's" claims on here, you cannot make an adequate living @ 1/2. You'd need a phenomenal winrate for an extended period. Even if you're still living with your parents, you're scraping by. Also, you'll never make enough to move up (to where they respect your raises, HAH! (sorry about that)).
* You're a total newb at the game (you said it was your first ever live experience), so you're going to get crushed for awhile. Online micros and low-limit live are two completely different games with VERY different skillsets. I don't care if they're both "NLHE". You yourself said you went in and tried to play like you do online and got eaten alive.

Look around for a 1/1(or even 0.50/1.00) home game. The rake'll eat you up long term, but you'll be able to bone up on your skills without losing hundreds of dollars a session. Also, bar poker leagues are kewl and cheap. Splash around on the slip-n-slide before heading to the kiddie pool.

I'll go one better than the "get a job" crowd: Get a (non-poker) career. One with advancement. One that gives personal satisfaction. One you can look your gf's dad in the eye and tell him you're doing. And please don't funnel all your money into the pit you call your "bankroll".

Everybody on these forums talk about "grinding" as if it's a good thing. It's not. It's a bad thing. As soon as it feels like a grind, pick up and go fishing or something. Life's too short.

I see that the 2NL pro with one live session under his belt knows more about the world of live poker than I do. My mistake for answering your question. I thought you were looking for a variety of opinions. I was wrong.

Good luck.

+Awesome.

Well yea i should clear things up a bit. I have rent and food paid for the next month, and rent for the month after (I live with my brother).

I am currently and always been disabled (beat?) so I do get income (In Canada it's social assistance basically)

I decided that I just wanted to try live, but I quickly got back to reality after the session and realized I do need a bankroll.

I decided to play 2nl because its actually on of the few limits I can beat, so I can at least put in a month of 10-15 hour days (cuz im a robot like that) and have close to $4k at the end of the month.

But I'd like to move up to 5nl etc, and hopefully take another shot.

I'm no where near being a "pro" after 3 hours of live play. Like I would think at least 6 months of good volume live before I would decide to be a "poker pro" and not get social assistance (which is my goal, really)

And obviously I'm no where near being able to pay bills with poker, although with 2nl I am actually quite close (lol not joking)

So is $4k fine if it's just for live poker (not for expenses)

Sorry I get easily raged by the internets. Sorry, I'll go back and re read and get of my horsey

If you plan on eventually taking a $4k shot at $1-2 as a $2nl grinder, then you should have no problem taking a $580 shot unless you might need that money for personal expenses, in which case you shouldn't have taken the $1k shot in the first place. There is no reason for you to wait until you have the $4k before you play again with the $580 that will be part of the $4k roll anyway. Are you not getting this?

But I give up. You're still talking about a bankroll in the context of shot taking, you're not reading my posts, and you're rejecting the advice of players who have hundreds of hours of more experience than you. Solid plan.

Is this a level? Honestly, are you screwing around with everyone here with this ridiculously over the top post, or are you actually bragging about making $200 sitting in front of your computer for NINETY HOURS?

No my point was to make it clear I can take the "grind" even if it's for happy meal stakes, for 90 hours, it actually much more now.

Yea I get your point, I reread all your posts. I don't want to take shots from 2nl > 200nl live. I want a decent chance at playing 1/2 live. Or take shots at 200nl without a good bankroll.

The 1k "shot" was just to experience live poker for the first time evar. The point of 2nl is just to grind up extra money and keep playing poker, I will move up though.

Does that clear it up?

Psst: "taking the grind" isn't the same in a poker room as it is in your bedroom.

But Live has hookers and blow, lot's of action. Just sayin..